Unless something is
leaping to mind, troll about in the journals of political theory.

Your topic is open
but must involve modern political theory and is subject to my approval.

You can critically
assess a particular concept or argumentative move.

You can apply a
theory or approach to some modern or even contemporary phenomena.

You are not limited
to the 5 authors or isms discussed in this class.In fact, I do not want more than 20%
of your paper to reproduce class discussions or rely on secondary scholarship
from the class if you do.

Elements:

1.‘Catchy Title:
explanatory subtitle’

2.Abstract: 100
word summary in which you specify the research question(s), how you go about
answering the question(s), and the nature of your answer/solution.

3.Keywords:
ten searchable words (can include proper names)

You should update
regularly both 1 and 2 and 3 as you work on your paper because doing so
forces you to be crystal clear about your intentions/targets/questions.

For papers of this
length it is crucial that you be self-conscious about the organization of the
paper and its parts.Think of it
as the skeleton and the writing of the (body of the) paper itself the flesh
that fills out around the bones.

5.Body of the paper

a.Introduction: open
with a hook – interesting quote, example, statistic, and then proceed
to explain to the reader what the larger issues at stake are.Crucially, you must demonstrate that
there is an interpretive/ethical/practical controversy.Intro is a bit more playful than the
abstract but must include a clear statement of the research question.

b.Body of the paper
– its parts, headings etc must match the outline.It is a also a good idea, especially
between parts, to provide one or two transitional sentences: e.g., ‘Having
considered x, and established that Y is usually the case, we can turn to
consider the problem of A.’Inasmuch as you must be
engaging with informational, illustrative, supportive, and critical sources,
and drew upon them in researching, you must provide full and formal citations
using one of the accepted methods.I would recommend using in-text reference method citations but also
footnotes to contain larger digressive discussions or multiple
citations.By
the end of the body, some interpretation/prescription/practice has been
proven implausible/dubious/unsuitable in favor of what you are defending.

c.Conclusion: Briefly
summarize what you have accomplished in the paper: i.e. restate your question
and the route you took to get to your answer.It is also entirely appropriate to
reflect on the limits of the validity of your research, or to put it
positively, on what else might be done, based on your work, in a fuller or
continued examination of your question.